Easy Way To Learn Texas Holdem Poker

Easy Way To Learn Texas Holdem Poker 3,9/5 2885 votes

How a Hand of Texas Hold’em Poker Works If you’re playing online poker, most of the mechanics of the game are taken care of for you. The software deals the cards, counts the bets and prompts the action, making it much easier than if you were playing at home with friends. It’s the ideal way to learn how to play Texas Hold’em. The Easy Way To Learn Texas Hold’em Poker In this article, I will make the case for playing a short stack in NL Hold’em cash games, at least in the beginning of a poker career. Many of you reading this might scoff at the notion. Learn how to play poker! From an introduction to basic poker rules, to advanced poker tactics. This offline poker app explains the hand combinations, poker terms, hand rankings, who wins, split pot, side pot and much more! It's poker explained in an easy way with clear instructions and lessons. Practice while you learn texas holdem rules! This poker trainer teaches poker dummies, but also has. Know Your Position. The best position in Texas Hold 'Em is 'on the button.' When you're on the.

In this article, I will make the case for playing a short stack in NL Hold’em cash games, at least in the beginning of a poker career. Many of you reading this might scoff at the notion. Even so, please hear me out and, at least for a bit, and forget everything you know about a so-called “correct” buy-in amount. It is my stance that there is no reason that you have to sit down at the table with the maximum allowed in order to succeed at poker. Your goal should be to make money, not try to adhere to an arbitrary set of rules that someone established before many of us were born.

Through recent history, there has been a popular misconception that short-stacking players are relying solely on some kind of pre-flop shoving chart or “system” that has been purchased and downloaded from the Internet. Therefore, the prevailing belief among “mainstream” players is that all short stackers have no skill or talent and are generally dismissed as nothing but an annoyance. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Short stacking is actually a microcosm of deeper-stacked play, and top small stackers are skilled poker players in their own right. They are just playing a different strategy based on buying in for less money. And, while stack size fluctuations necessarily affect everyone’s strategy, we are all effectively playing the same game.

In truth, short stackers play by the same rules and post the same size blinds as everyone else. They can raise, fold, check, and call. They use math to make their decisions and plan hands just just like deeper-stacked players do. It is still poker, no matter what your chosen buy-in is. As a matter of fact, a distinct skill set is needed for playing each of the various stack sizes, and strategy must change as a stack grows or shrinks. Consequently, shorter-stacked players typically have more competence when it comes to adjusting to varying stack sizes than do 100 big blind players, who always keep their stack topped off.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, while there are significantly fewer difficult decisions, small-stack play is not purely a “shove fest,” and still requires a great deal of finesse. With 30 to 50 big blinds, you have plenty of room to maneuver both pre-flop and post-flop. Just like deeper stacked play, short stacking requires planning every single hand based upon your opponent’s range and tendencies, as well as your commitment level.

Even today, when your average poker player thinks of a short stacker, he likely conjures images of desperation all-in moves by players without any skill, who are resigned to being a one-trick pony. While this may sometimes be the case, as I do often see poor players buying in short, this stereotypical view creates a powerful weapon accessible to those willing to wield it in the form of a favorable image. Beyond that, there are many other reasons that buying in short is advantageous:

Reason #1: Your Strategy Is a Mystery
Full stackers generally spend all their time trying to figure out what other full stackers are doing. As a result, a lot of regular 100 big-blind players will view you solely as a nuisance. One cannot blame them. No-limit hold’em is a difficult game, and trying to “master” full-stack play is all they want to focus on. They feel that spending time understanding a short-stack strategy would detract from their learning process. To them, you are just another annoying shove bot.

The thing is, even skilled full-stack players tend to have trouble winning versus short stackers. This is likely because they are either too lazy to attempt to figure out what you are doing or do not see any merit in doing so. Their focus is solely on deep-stacked poker. That’s their story, and they’re stickin’ to it. Consequently, the majority of the time regulars will play pot after pot incorrectly against you. Even if they do attempt to adjust, often it will be in the wrong manner, and even more money will be spewed your way.

Reason #2: Mistakes are less punitive
During the learning process, a novice is bound to make numerous errors. Paying less for each blunder is a nice side effect of short or CAP stacking. Because the costs of mistakes are diminished, a novice can more freely and confidently make the difficult decisions he or she faces. One also no longer has to worry about a single “bad beat” ruining an entire session. Having KK run into AA or having someone flop a set against your top pair, hurts a lot less when it’s only for 30 big blinds.

Reason #3: You Face Fewer Difficult Decisions
Having decisions become much more straightforward and obvious is a positive thing in almost every endeavor in the world, so why not in poker? If you normally play a 100 big blind stack, how often have you had to fold to a river raise or shove and wonder whether or not you were bluffed? How often have you hesitated to value bet the turn because you were afraid of the pot getting too big by the river?

We have all been in this spot. You flop top pair or an overpair and get raised on the turn. Did he just make a straight? Did he flop a set? Is he bluffing or semi-bluffing? Is it worth another 70 or 80 big blinds to find out? While playing a traditional 100 big blind stack, most sessions include multiple similar “tough” decisions.

Reason #4: The ever-present threat of an all-in bet
On all streets, short stacks wield the threat of an all-in bet that can come at any time. Well-timed reraise shoves cause multiple headaches for your competition. Most players will not know how to correctly react and will unknowingly concede a veiled edge to you each time you stick all your chips in.

As a case in point, 3-bet shoving is a decisive pre-flop weapon. If your opponents are not well versed in the nuances of range battles, you will be at a significant advantage anytime you sit down with them. An expert 3-bet shoving strategy seeks to take advantage of multiple tactical mistakes that unskilled players commonly make. Among them are:

Opening raises that are too large, especially from late position:
Open raising too large while we are sitting behind them can be a giant leak for our opponents. We exploit their incorrect opening raise size by widening our 3-bet ranges based on the size of their bet. If they do not similarly adjust their calling ranges, we profit.
Loose opening ranges coupled with tight all-in calling ranges:
Calling our shoves too tightly will cause money to leak away from this type of opponent in the form of non-showdown earnings. In other words, the dead money we win when we shove and are not called, more than makes up for the few times we are called and have inferior equity.
All-in calling ranges that are too loose:
Our superior equity versus loose calling ranges yields a net profit via showdown winnings. We just have to make sure we do not 3-bet light against these players and that our shoves are mostly for value.
An incorrect interpretation of Hero’s 3-Bet range:
Opponents who are employing a HUD will often fail to realize that we are 3-betting a different range against various players. For example, we may have a raw 3-bet stat of 8% against the field but 3-bet much higher against certain opponents. If those players base their actions on a range of 8%, the profit over time will be immense.

After the flop, a short stack’s commitment range is generally much wider than it is for a full-stacked player. Unskilled players will tend to fold many times tighter or looser than is correct due to their inability to comprehend commitment decisions. Clever players will think they need to call your all-in bets with weaker holdings, as they may assume you are stacking off lighter in any given situation than you actually are. This provides more abundant opportunities for you to get paid off when you have a strong hand. As long as we take note of our opponents’ commitment ranges based on their HUD stats or through keen observation, we can fairly easily exploit them via minor adjustments.

Additionally, profit in poker comes from our ability to consistently make decisions superior to those the field is making. Therefore, we should create as many opportunities for opponents to make mistakes as we can. The frequent barrage of all-in decisions coupled with our wide opening range and constant aggression otherwise, guarantees more profitable opportunities per hour than our counterparts can muster.

If you want to know a few more reasons, I cover this topic a bit more extensively in my first book. I also lay out my own personal way of playing poker, which has given me success all the way up to 600NL. In fact, I can’t imagine playing any other way. As of this writing, I have been short stacking for about seven years now and over the past few years have experimented with playing a 100 big blind stack again from time to time. Invariably, what I always seem to miss most is the ability to isolate bad players with pre-flop committing plays, such as shoving or 3rd & going. And while I otherwise feel comfortable deeper stacked, I still always come to the same conclusion.

Contrary to popular belief, playing a full stack severely inhibits a player’s route to maximum profit against most bad players. This is because a short can use his stack size as leverage to obtain much more profit against the weaker players than a traditional 100bb stacked player can. My stance on this is almost certainly going to be viewed as a radical one, since the number one reason full stacked players tell other players to never play a short stack is the ability to win the maximum against weaker players. There are certain instances that I do agree with putting as much money on the table as possible and in fact do as a matter of course. However, these situations are few and far between.

In particular, should you face a deep stacked maniac who is willing to get it in both pre-flop and post-flop for 50 plus big blinds with extremely weak holdings, either pre-flop or post-flop, then you definitely want to buy in for the maximum possible. However, you will seldom see this type of opponent, so sitting down with a deep stack as a matter of course just doesn’t make sense in most situations or table dynamics. Currently, I play on a sitewith numerous loose and weak players, and I sometimes play sessions without seeing even one of this player type.

One other exception is that if you are a tight full-ring player that builds his or her entire strategy around set mining. In that case, you also want to play a bigger stack. You would, of course, want to be as deep as possible in order to attempt this approach. However, since this style of play is highly unlikely to win in today’s games, I discount the idea as a viable argument against playing a shorter stack in fishier games.

Inevitably, due to a great frequency of facing awkward SPR situations which lead to numerous awkward turn and river decisions, full-stacked players seem to be resigned to spending most of their time looking for spots to either cooler their opponents, or avoid being coolered themselves. Therefore, in my opinion, playing a full stack seems to be much more of a “one trick pony” style of playing and infinitely less fun. Indeed, I would much rather play 250 big blinds than anywhere near 100! In my opinion, really deep stacked play is almost as fun as short stacking, since SPRs are always so high. However, that is another story for another day.

Why 30 big blinds?
Short stacking is so misunderstood that even the amount which constitutes a short stack is up for debate. Some people feel that anything under 50 big blinds is a short stack, while others feel that a “true” short stacker sits down with 20 big blinds. Among knowledgeable poker players, it seems that most are in the camp that less than 40 big blinds is a short stack, 40-80 big blinds is a mid stack, 80-150 big blinds is a full stack, and anything greater than 150 big blinds would be considered deep stacked.

Traditionally, most short-stacking “systems” concentrate on 20 big blind play. In this book I have focused on playing any stack size under 45 big blinds and suggest a buy-in of 30, if possible. After experimenting with many different stack sizes, I have concluded that 30 big blinds seem to provide the perfect balance between allowing for three streets of poker while remaining small enough that a player can comfortably 3-bet shove a wide range before the flop. The importance of having 3-betting and 4-betting simplified during the learning process cannot be overstated. Even so, a 40 big blind starting stack is fine as well, along with a few minor adjustments.

Another good reason for learning with a 30 big blind stack is that a 20 big blind buy-in is no longer an option on numerous poker sites. In the last couple of years, many sites have raised their minimum buy-in from 20 big blinds up to 30 or even 40 big blinds. For your info, I have compiled a list of the best short stack friendly sites out there.

The changes were made mainly to appease full-stacked players who are intolerant of players who use a short-stack strategy, since they collectively have trouble beating them. They do not want to have to spend time learning how to beat short stackers and would rather segregate themselves from them altogether. And when “forced” to play against anyone with less than a full buy-in, full-stacked players often quite openly let it be known that they feel short-stack players are the scum of the earth.

It’s rather unfortunate that a player’s chosen starting stack can be such an object of contempt. In fact, sitting down with less than the “standard” buy-in has become such an anathema, that if you post a hand on an online poker forum that has you starting with less than 100 big blinds, you will likely be ridiculed to no end and receive no advice on the hand itself. Some of the vitriol spewed is so intense that you would think short stacking is against the rules.

My thought on the subject is that a lot of these bitter feelings are a carry-over from the “old days.” A generation ago, the thought of buying in for a short stack would have been unthinkable for a good poker player. Before the advent of online poker, a top professional always wanted to have more money in his stack than less-skilled players. This allowed him to wield the full force of his “skill” against them.

Additionally, such a strategy would simply not work in live poker rooms. Once you obtained more than 50 or 60 big blinds, a shift in strategy would have to occur. And sitting out and getting back on a waiting list would not work as a solution. Not only is it a waste of valuable time, it would likely be frowned upon by opponents and the poker room as a form of “going South.”

Today, online players have the ability to come and go as they please, with no such rules of etiquette in place. With the ability to play multiple tables, comes the option of leaving once you hit a goal amount of money. You can simply bring in a new table and start fresh with your chosen starting stack size.

When learning, we should be inclined to make matters less complicated, not more. It is much better to play a simple strategy well than a complicated one poorly. Therefore, buying in short provides a superb starting point for someone fairly new to NL Hold’em cash games. Playing a smaller effective stack instantly solves numerous problems beginner and intermediate players face. In fact, it solves many of the problems all players face.

One common problem confronted by full stacked players is how to proceed with one pair hands when raised on the flop or turn. For short stackers, stack-to-pot ratios will always be lower and decisions considerably more straightforward. Therefore, when you flop top pair or an over pair as a short stack, you can cbet with confidence, since you are almost always committed. In fact, you want to be raised! Let them fire away since you can profitably call it off nearly every time.

For advanced players or grinders, small stacking also offers a simpler, crisper decision-making process. Almost every decision at the poker table is much clearer when wielding fewer chips. Once armed with the right information, a skilled short-stacking player will find that he can make decisions faster, play more tables, and increase his hourly rate. This is all done in a more stress-free poker environment that is conducive to less variance due to less money being in play.

Beyond tactical considerations, short stacking has multiple passive benefits that occur without having to actively do anything. Sitting in with a small stack not only removes potential leaks from our game, it also significantly alters the dynamics of a table. Our mere presence potentially creates leaks in opponents who fail to adjust correctly.

Overall, the key arguments for buying in for less than 50 big blinds are the inherent beneficial image, the lessened frequency of difficult decisions due to lower SPRs, and the ability to play higher stakes on a smaller bankroll. As a matter of fact, that last one might be a big enough reason over all others, as moving on to higher stakes as quickly as possible when building a bankroll, should be the number one priority of any poker player.

So if you are fairly new to poker or have struggled and are looking for a fresh way to approach the game, give short stacking a try. Good luck at the tables!

If you want to learn how to play Texas hold'em games, then you need to start from the basic rules and hands. That's exactly what you'll find on this beginner's guide to the game.

Texas hold'em is a simple poker game, but it can be daunting to get to grips with.

But don't let that put you off. By the time you are down with this beginner's guide to Texas hold'em, you will know:

1. What Is Texas Hold'em Poker?

Texas Hold'em is the most popular of all poker variations.

All of the marquee tournaments around the world (including those played at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, the and the European Poker Tour) feature the no-limit variation of this game.

Texas hold'em is so popular that is the only poker game many players will ever learn.

It takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.

Discovering how to play Texas hold'em poker is not difficult and the simplicity of its rules, gameplay, and hand-ranking all contribute to the popularity of the game.

However, don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you.

The number of possible situations and combinations is so vast that Texas hold'em can be an extremely complex game when you play at the highest levels.

If you are approaching the game of Texas hold'em for the first time, starting from the basic rules of the game is key. Not only these are the easiest ones to learn, but they are also essential to understand the gameplay and, later on, the game's basic strategy.

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2. Texas Hold'em Rules

So how do you play Texas hold'em?

The goal of a Texas hold'em game is to use your hole card and in combination with the community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

Hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw.

However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker.

It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.

In a game of Texas hold'em, each player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards')
Throughout several betting rounds, five more cards are (eventually) dealt face up in the middle of the table
These face-up cards are called the 'community cards.' Each player is free to use the community cards in combination with their hole cards to build a five-card poker hand.

While we will see each betting round and different phase that forms a full hand of a Texas hold'em game, you should know that the five community cards are dealt in three stages:

The Flop: the first three community cards.
The Turn: the fourth community card.
The River:The fifth and final community card.

Your mission is to construct your five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards).

You can do that by using both your hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cards, or no hole cards.

If the cards on the table lead to a better combination, you can also play all five community cards and forget about yours.

In a game of Texas hold'em you can do whatever works to make the best five-card hand.

If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards.

For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.

READ ALSO: Common Poker Tells: How to Read People in Poker

If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.

Now that you know the basics of Texas hold'em and you start to begin gaining an understanding of how the game works, it's time to get into some specifics.

These include how to deal Texas hold'em and how the betting works.

Basic Rules Key Takeaways:

A game of Texas hold'em feature several betting rounds
Players get two private and up to five community cards
Unless all players abandon the game before the showdown, you need the highest poker hand to win

How to Play

Let's have a look at all the different key aspects of a Texas hold'em game, including the different positions at the table and the betting rounds featured in the game.

The Button

The play moves clockwise around the table, starting with action to the left of the dealer button.

The 'button' is a round disc that sits in front of a player and is rotated one seat to the left every hand.

When playing in casinos and poker rooms, the player with the dealer button doesn't deal the cards (the poker room hires someone to do that).

In when you play poker home games with friends the player with the button usually deals the hands.

The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.

The first two players sitting to the immediate left of the button are required to post a 'small blind' and a 'big blind' to initiate the betting.

From there, the action occurs on multiple streets:

Preflop
Flop
Turn
River

Each one of these moments (or 'streets' in the game's lingo) is explained further below.

The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.

In Texas hold'em, the player on button, or last active player closest to the button receives the last action on all post-flop streets of play.

While the dealer button dictates which players have to post the small and big blinds, it also determines where the dealing of the cards begin.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer button in the small blind receives the first card and then the dealer pitches cards around the table in a clockwise motion from player to player until each has received two starting cards.

READ ALSO: Poker Positions Explained: the Importance of Position in Poker

The Blinds

Before every new hand begins, two players at the table are obligated to post small and big blinds.

The blinds are forced bets that begin the wagering.

Without these blinds, the game would be very boring because no one would be required to put any money into the pot and players could just wait around until they are dealt pocket aces (AA) and only play then.

The blinds ensure there will be some level of 'action' on every hand.

In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.

In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals.

As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. [*]In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.

The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind.

The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent on the game being played.

In a '$1/$2' Texas holdem game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.

First Betting Round: Preflop

The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards.

The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind.

This position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. The first player has three options:

Call: match the amount of the big blind
Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game
Fold: throw the hand away

If the player chooses to fold, he or she is out of the game and no longer eligible to win the current hand.

Players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.

The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played.

In a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).

There are other betting variations in hold'em poker.

In fixed-limit hold'em (or just 'limit hold'em), a raise is always exactly twice the big blind.

In pot-limit hold'em (played much less often than the other variations), players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.

After the first player ('under the gun') acts, the play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold.

Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the 'flop.'

Second Betting Round: The Flop

After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already.

A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.

In this betting round (and subsequent ones), the action starts with the first active player to the left of the button.

Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand.

A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.

Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called (which closes the action).

It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.

Third Betting Round: The Turn

Call – match the amount of the big blind

The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the flop.

Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play.

Again players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

Final Betting Round: The River

Fold – throw the hand away

The fifth community card, called the river, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the turn.

Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play.

Once more the remaining players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

After all betting action has been completed, the remaining players in the hand with hole cards now expose their holdings to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.

The Showdown

Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available

The remaining players show their hole cards, and with the assistance of the dealer, a winning hand is determined.

The player with the best combination of five cards wins the pot according to the official poker hand rankings.

3. The Hands in Texas Hold'em

These hand rankings aren't specifically part of Texas hold'em rules, but apply to many different poker games.

Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g., A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g., Q♣Q♥Q♦Q♠4♦
Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., J♣J♥J♠8♦8♥
Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g., 8♣8♠8♦K♣4♥
Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣J♦J♣7♠
One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g., 10♥10♣9♥4♦2♦
High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠5♣2♥ would be called 'ace-high'

Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available (their two hole cards and the five community cards).

If the board is showing 9♣5♠K♦3♠A♥, a player with the two hole cards 9♠ would have two pair (aces and nines) and would lose to a player who has 9♦9♥ for three of a kind (three nines).

Learn Texas Holdem Poker Free

Learning hold'em poker begins with understanding how hands are dealt and the order of play as described above.

Of course, learning Texas hold'em rules is just the beginning, as the next step is to learn strategy which involves understanding what constitutes good starting hand selection, the odds and probabilities associated with the game, the significance of position and getting to act last during those post-flop betting rounds, and many other aspects of the game.

4. How to Play Texas Hold'em Games Online

Now that you know how Texas Hold'em works, it's time to put the theory into practice and play your first games.

The best way to start playing Texas Hold'em is to start from these free poker games available online and then move up to the real money action only when you feel comfortable enough to do so.

All the 'must-have poker rooms' below offer free games to practice online.

Learn To Play Texas Holdem

If you are completely new to the game, you should go for play money options, first. These risk-free games with fake money are an excellent way to familiarise with the different moments of play and the betting rounds.

The play money games are a great way to learn more about the hand rankings and begin to read the board fast enough to take all the right decisions at the right time.

Best Way To Learn Texas Holdem Poker

After that, you should more to the poker freerolls. These are free poker tournaments with actual prizes on tap that range from free money to free entries into more expensive real money games.